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| Zigismunds Sirmais of Latvia arrives in Tallinn as an overwhleming favourite to win European junior gold. |
Javelin thrower Zigismunds Sirmais has already rewritten the record books this year and the Latvian arrives in Tallinn as an overwhleming favourite to win European junior gold, while on the track French sprinter Jimmy Vicaut is gunning for Christophe Lemaître’s 100m title.
Sprints and hurdles
A young Frenchman called Christophe Lemaître announced his presence on the world sprint stage when he won 100m gold at these championships two years ago. In Tallinn, another young Frenchman call Jimmy Vicaut aims to follow in his countryman’s speedy footsteps as he goes for the sprint double.
Vicaut, who ran 10.16 last year and took world junior bronze in Moncton, leads this season’s 1000m list with 10.20, 0.9s quicker than his nearest rival, the 17-year-old Briton David Bolarinwa. Vicaut is clearly in form as he also has a windy 10.11 to his name this year. Britain has a second medal hope in Adam Gemili while Croatia’s Daroi Horvat and Vicault’s teammate Guy-Elpège Anouman will also be in the hunt.
Vicaut also leads a strong French assault on the 200m where his personal best of 21.02 is quickest in the field. His teammate Vincent Michalet has been marginally faster this year (21.07 to Vicaut’s 21.09) while Jeffrey John has run 21.27. Between them sits Bolarinwa and Spanish sprinter “scar Husillos. It says much for France’s strength in depth that the continent’s quickest under-20 is also French, the world youth bronze medallist Mickael-Meba Zeze.
Marcell Deák Nagy is hot favourite to add European 400m gold to his world junior silver after setting a Hungarian junior record of 45.74 at the end of June. That makes him more than three tenths quicker than Nikita Uglov of Russia who clocked a PB 46.05 this month. Two Italians, Marco Lorenzi and Michele Tricca, shouldn’t be overlooked while Radel Kashefrazov is Russia’s second hope.
Andy Pozzi leads the sprint hurdles rankings thanks to his British junior record of 13.29 at the beginning of July. Pozzi aims to match Lawrence Clarke, champion in Novi Sad, while world junior bronze medallist Jack Meredith gives Britain a great chance of two medals in this event. Pozzi’s main challenge will come from Gregor Traber who set a German junior record of 13.31 last month while Belgian junior record holder Dario Vanderveken is also a threat.
Three men have dipped under 51 seconds in the 400m hurdles – Varg Königsberg of Germany, who leads the field with 50.24, Italy’s José de Leon and Belgian Stef Vanhaeren – while there’ll be home support for Rasmus Mí¤gi, who holds the Estonian junior record with 51.17. Königsberg, fourth at the world juniors last year, will be keen to match Germany’s 2009 champion, Tobias Giehl.
Endurance
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| Germany's Gregor Traber along with Briton Andy Pozzi will be among the favourites for the 110m hurdles gold in Tallinn. |
Pierre Ambroise Bosse was an 800m finallist at the world juniors last summer, and he comes to Tallinn as favourite for the European title thanks to the French junior record of 1:46.18 he clocked in Reims on 5 July. That’s exactly a second quicker than Sweden’s Johan Rogestedt although the 2009 world youth champion clearly knows how to execute big championship victories. Others in the running for two-lap honours include Belgian record holder Martijn Scheepers and Czech Republic’s Miroslav Burian who have both run under 1:48 this year.
The form book suggests two Britons and a Norwegian will battle for the 1500m medals. Thomas Solberg Eide sits proud atop the rankings thanks to a personal and season’s best of 3:40.22. That’s more than a second quicker than Andy Cotton while Charlie Grice has also run under 3:43. Marcel Fehr will also be a contender – the German has a sub-3:43 PB and was a world junior finallist in Moncton.
Britain have high hopes in the 5000m too where Jonathan Hay is the only sub-14 minute man in the field. Hay ran 13:57.16 in Manchester at the end of May and can call on good 1500m speed to aid his cause. Hay is joined by compatriot Callum Hawkins while French hopes rest with Francois Barrer. Rui Pinto flies the flag for Portugal while Poland’s chances lie with Bartosz Kowalczyk and Szymon Kulka.
Kulka’s greater prospects come in the 10,000m where only Russia’s Vitaliy Moiseyev has a quicker PB, 29:50.90. Another Russian, Andrey Rusakov, and British pair Paul Thompson and Karl Billington should also figure.
Russia’s Ilgizar Safiulin is the fastest of the three sub-8:50 steeplechasers with a PB set this year of 8:45.12. Muhammet Emit Tan should be hot on his heels, however, following his Turkish junior record of 8:46.43, while Romain Collenot-Spiret gives France strong medal prospects.
Jumps
Given their dominance of the senior ranks, it’s no surprise to see a clutch of Russians among the high jump medal prospects, not least Nikita Anishchenkov who’s 2.30 clearance at the national junior championships in Cherboksary not only won the title but claimed the Russian junior record. He’ll be supported by Daniyil Tsyplakov who’s cleared 2.26 this year, while Dmitroy Kroyter of Israel and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi provide the non-Russian threat.
A national junior record of 5.63 by Emile Denecker just last Sunday has bolted the Frenchman into the hot seat for the pole vault ahead of Daniel Clemens. A world youth bronze medallist two years ago, Clemens vaulted 5.50 in Mannhiem on 3 July and he’ll be aiming to emulate Nico Weiler and keep the title in German hands. Denecker’s teammate Kévin Ménaldo and Spain’s Didac Salas have both cleared 5.40 and should also be in with a shout.
A Turkish junior record of 7.92 back in May ranks Kaan Sencan number one in the long jump ahead of Russia’s Sergey Morgunov who has leapt 7.85. Another Russian, Evgeny Antonov, is also in good form, while Florent Szezesny of France, Valentin Toboc of Romania and Poland’s Tomasz Jaszczuk have a realistic shot at the podium.
Russia’s Dmitriy Sorokin leads the triple jump standings with 16.38 but his absence from Tallinn leaves his compatriot Alexander Yurchenko as favourite. Yurchenko leapt 16.35 this summer while Romania’s Sergiu Caciuriac and Pávlos Bóftsis of Greece are also in 16m form. Watch out too for Vicente Docavo. The Spaniard’s outdoor best is 15.57, but he leapt 16.61 indoors this year.
Throws
Few shot putters in Tallinn are likely to match the incredible David Storl, who threw 22.40 to win in Novi Sad, but in Dennis Lewke Germany has another serious contender for gold. Lewke sits third in the rankings so far with a PB of 20.10 set earlier this month, 51cm short of Italy’s Daniele Secci and Krzysztof Brzozowski of Poland. Austrian record holder Lukas Weisshaldinger was sixth at the world juniors last year and is approaching 20m form.
Weisshaldinger will also be a medal contender in the discus where he’ll face the German duo of Benedict Steinen and Philippe Grewe. Steinen leads the season’s rankings with 63.52 while Grewe has thrown 62.90 compared to Weisshaldinger’s Austrian junior record of 62.33. Wojciech Praczyk of Poland has also gone beyond 62m with his national junior record of 62.26.
The hammer looks set to be a two-way tussle between Frenchman Quentin Bigot, who threw 78-dead in June, and Moldovan record holder Sergiu Marghiev who’s reached 76.45. Bigot was seventh in Moncton last summer. Spain’s José Pedro Martín and Juho Saarikoski could be scrapping for bronze – they have both exceeded 73m this year.
All eyes will be on Zigismunds Sirmais in the javelin after the Latvian stunned onlookers by eclipsing Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen’s world junior record at March’s European Cup Winter Throwing in Sofia. Sirmais improved Thorkildsen’s 83.87 to 84.47, improving that further to 84.69 in Bauska, Latvia, last month, giving him more than 4.5 metres advantage over his nearest Tallinn rival, Valeriy Iordan of Russia. Iordan set a world youth record two years ago and has improved to breach 80 metres this year.
Multi-events, walks and relays
World youth and junior multi-events champion Kevin Meyer will be favourite for the European junior decathlon title in Tallinn, but the Frenchman faces a three-pronged challenge from German trio Johannes Hock, Steffen Klink and Matthias Brugger who head the junor decathlon standings.
Meyer will take some beating, however. He scored 7928 to win in Moncton last year, and racked up 7992 points to claim the French junior decathlon record when finishing eighth at the senior TNT-Fortuna meeting in Kladno in June. Other medal hopes include Aliaksei Spiryn of Belarus and Alexander Koeykin of Russia, two men who have scored 7,500-plus this year.
Russians claimed all three walk medals in Novi Sad, a record that Germany’s Hagen Pohle hopes to break in Tallinn. Pohle won the world youth title in 2009 and tops the rankings this year after clocking 40:28.21. Oleksandr Verbytskyy of Ukraine and Yauheni Zalesski of Belarus are next quickest on the track this year, but Verbytskyy’s teammate Ihor Lyashchenko and the Russian trio of Dementy Cheparev, Alexandr Ivanov and Evgeniy Nushtaev have produced good performances over 10km on the roads.
Germany won the last three sprint relay golds but they’ll face tough opposition this time from France and Britain who have strong individuals available.
Britain will have a tricky task defending the 4x400m title against strong challenges from Italy, Russia and 2009 silver medallists, Germany.